Comments on: LabCorp Billing – Unethical?

By: Anne P.

Anne P. — Sun, 09 May 2010 16:45:33 +0000

As part of a regular health checkup, my doctor ordered a series of blood tests. She provided me with a LabCorp work order that specified 3 different blood tests.

I took this work order to LabCorp in Greenville, Texas. The lady who dealt with my paperwork informed me that 2 of the tests listed on the work order would not be covered by Medicare and she printed out the Labcorp Form CMS-R-131 where both test were listed and I checked and signed the appropriate section – Option 3 – I don’t want the laboratory test(s) listed above. I understand with this choice I am not responsible for payment and I cannot appeal to be if Medicare would pay. I have a copy of that form in my possession.

This same lady assured me that the third test on the work order form WAS covered by Medicare, so I went ahead and blood was drawn.

Several weeks later I received a bill from LabCorp which listed 4 different tests had been performed on my blood. Medicare had been billed and had denied payment on all 4. LabCorp was billing me for everything.

This despite the fact that:
a) The work order from my doctor only specified 3 tests
b) I had signed LabCorp’s own form declining 2 of the tests
c) Their representative assured me that the third test WOULD be covered by Medicare.
d) They will give me no explanation of the fourth test appearing on their bill.

I have been in touch with LabCorp repeatedly, but no-one has shown the slightest inclination to sort this mess out. In fact I received a form letter in the mail from them yesterday explaining that the bills are for “Clinical Laboratory Services Performed at the request of my physician”.

BS – I have a copy of their Form CMS-R-131 here in front of me as I write, categorically declining 2 of the tests, while their own representative assured me that the third test on the work order was not a problem and was covered by Medicare.

Not only did LabCorp frivolously ignore the fact that I had signed their own form to decline 2 tests, they completely misinformed me on the third and also added a fourth test, apparently of their own choosing.

Stay right away from LabCorp. They are incompetent and unethical and their customer service is non-existent, nobody gives a damn.

By: LabMoreCrap

LabMoreCrap — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:56:32 +0000

LabMoreCrap charged me 2,100.00 for a bunch of tests for a family member. Anthem’s negotiated rates were 210.00 of which I owed 40 bucks.

What happens to the folks that don’t have healthcare insurance?

Labcorps is big reason why healthcare costs so much.

By: Labcrap

Labcrap — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:04:48 +0000

Any person with a moral direction and a mind will not work at Labcrap. All thats left is numbed chubbies waiting on their retirements (its not their fault, the lab festivities cause mass force-feeding of cubicle restrained biologic units. Any one with deductive reasoning would recognize right away something is wrong with their whole business model. Treating patients poorly is bad for business. The people who work there are truly depressed and hate their jobs–I have seen it first hand-luckily I made the change before Labcraps nonsensical farce took hold of what brain cells remained after being treated like a true lab rat.

By: Enduser

Enduser — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:55:12 +0000

My doctor just ordered a Basic Metabolic Profile. I have no insurance so I want to shop around. I called a local labcorp office and asked what the price would be. The representative just mumbled something incomprehensible and hung up on me.

By: P.O.'ed Patient

P.O.'ed Patient — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:48:18 +0000

To “anonymous” in the billing department- I have worked in a call center as a customer service representative (in billing) and as a sales person and I have to say- you exemplify everything that is wrong with the medical system today. You don’t care. I would never show such contempt for someone attempting to purchase a phone, much less for someone who may have a grave illness. Should healthcare providers, including laboratories and insurance companies, be able to make a profit from their services? Absolutely, but you have to remember the Hippocratic Oath, which should apply to ALL that provide health services, not just doctors. You are supposed to act like you actually have a beating heart in there along with your capitalistic intents (and I say this as a libertarian, free-market capitalist who WANTS business to exceed over regulation). The attitude at some of these healthcare companies is one of smugness, of believing you are in charge and right 100% of the time. Your own personal ignorance and smug attitude shows in your long-winded, assumption saturated comment. Thank goodness you are a soon to be FORMER employee in this position. Your would be customers should feel relief at that small fact, despite that it is shortlived as it is probable that you are leaving to get a promotion. Call centers have an ugly habit of promoting the slowest of their pack. Here’s the thing- you don’t know what companies tell employees during orientation; you know what your company told YOU. Your comment spoke to the notion that you may not have worked in a variety of companies. You say that doctors often make mistakes in tests that they order, which I can believe. Then you go on to say that it is still our responsibility because we signed a form. Yet you acknowledge that we may not have been given such a form, but signed something else that is not an itemized list of labs requested. If anything is signed that is not an itemized list there is no way to check our doctor’s mistakes. That is in no way a patient’s fault. Not LabCorp’s fault, but still- it’s called empathy for your customer. Get some. You say that you bill insurance companies the same as the customer without insurance, and I believe you. But then you go on to say that you will work a deal with an insurance company that I will bet my last dollar that you would never give to a customer. When you give an insurance company a discount that you won’t give to the average Joe, you are in fact “billing” differently regardless of what the first bill sent out contains. And don’t demonize the insurance companies either. While you are correct in stating that many are corrupt, that corruption, and the fact that a vast majority of Americans unknowlingly participate in this corrupt system, drives the costs for services up, creating asrtonomical profits for LabCorp and keeps your behind making bad decisions in a uncouth way for patients that need your help, not your attitude. Medicare and Medicaid make it worse, forcing the fees for those on the countries largest insurance plan to be spread among those that have no option but to pay, while giving lower costs to those with more of an ability to pay. When most people have insurance, the provider of care knows that the patient will not usually be responsible for the bill and therefore charges more for said service. It’s basic economics. And speaking of basic economics- if you had a legal degree you would make more money. You wouldn’t work for a call center for so long that the bitterness drives you to seek out criticism of a company you have been brainwashed by. Don’t quote laws that you don’t have the means to interpret. That law was intended to make sure people had the knowledge to do their jobs when taking samples or in the laboratory itself. It is not a play-by-play for lab technicians and their employers. As for the ex-employee that was sent to collections 6 weeks after the test- I believe that. It may not be policy, but computers make mistakes all the time. All I really came on here to do was find out what the rate was for a test (which should be easy enough, and public knowledge), as I believe I was charged too much. $341 for a simple exam, when I already paid the doctor hundreds to collect the specimen, seems a bit high (especially considering that is not what I was quoted [$94]). After reading what you wrote, now I know this company has no scruples. I am not usually this blunt to those on the internet or elsewhere, but as a healthCARE provider you should behave a little more CARING. Listen to these people complaining. They have no financial incentive to lie. Take these tips back to your supervisor and use them yourself. Improve your customer service so that your customers will have less to complain about. Then you would not have to seek out these negative comments and refute their claims. Your customers would be happy.

By: John Hoevel

John Hoevel — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:24:37 +0000

Attorney John Hoevel is interested in pursuing claims of patients against LabCorp for improper billing practices. Please contact Mr. Hoevel if:

1. Your insurance company processed a claim for LabCorp services, and

2. LabCorp or LCA Collections billed you for a balance higher than the patient responsibility amount shown on your Explanation of Benefits (EOB), and

3. You paid the balance, or any portion thereof.

You may contact Mr. Hoevel at lab@hoevellaw.com.

By: Sarah Taber

Sarah Taber — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:55:59 +0000

Here’s a copy of the complaint I sent to LabCorp (we’ll see if it goes anywhere).

“I received an invoice for this bill dated 7/29/09 and my husband paid it online 8/3/09.

We then received an invoice dated 8/19/09- more than TWO WEEKS AFTER this bill was paid online and should have been in your computer- stating that it had gone to your collections department.

Since I didn’t know my husband had paid this bill already, I sent you a check for this same bill. You now have double the amount.

My question is, if this bill had already been paid for over two weeks, why did you send this account to your Collections department and bill us separately? And when are you going to refund the second payment?”

By: Ms Young

Ms Young — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:50:15 +0000

Labcorp has some of the most incompetent employees working in their lab in Oxon Hill, Md. I submitted a new insurance card to them in 2006 yet they continued to send all my claims to my old health insurance company. Needless to say, the claims went unpaid and now I have a negative report on my credit report for their mistake. They informed me that they cannot remove the negative status because the claim still hasn’t been paid. Well, if they’d done their job in 2006, the freaking claim would’ve have been paid. Who do I contact to voice my complaint? Who governs these labs?

By: Tired of Fraud

Tired of Fraud — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:08:48 +0000

I plan to submit a written complaint to the FTC about LabCorp. After months of threatening letters and LabCorp ‘losing’ my insurance company’s payment I recieved the blatent lie, in writing, that seals the case:
‘$XXX is due immediately. Your insurance company has processed your claim. Balance is your responsibility. Protect your credit!’
When I called my insurance company again they told me they had faxed LabCorp payment 12 days before the date on LabCorps threatening letter! And when I called LabCorp, surprise surprise, my payment had been made, the day after the date on their scary letter, and now my balance is zero. They were half right- my insurance company had processed the claim- but it wasn’t my responsibility. Why would LabCorp do this? Because they wanted $400 from me, and my insurance company only paid $40. If my grandparents had recieved such a letter they would have written a check.
LabCorp, why don’t you try to make a profit by serving your customers instead of cheating them? And if that’s the only way to make it nowadays than find another business.

By: Annoyed

Annoyed — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:56:16 +0000

I, too, have had problems with LabCorp’s Billing Department. I had some labs drawn in my doctor’s office by the nurse who works in my doctor’s office who is NOT an employee of LabCorp. My insurance had changed, and, unfortunately, the doctor’s office did not sent the correct insurance info to LabCorp. When LabCorp thought I didn’t have insurance, they sent me a hug bill which I then forwarded to my insurance carrier. I later received a revised bill for half the amount they were originally charging. In addition, there was a $16 charge for venipuncture that LabCorp did not perform. When I called the Billing Dept. to dispute this charge, the woman who answered my call basically told me I was stupid and that the nurse was probably a LabCorp employee. I told her I’ve been going to that doctor for quite a while, and I know she is an employee of the doctor’s office and not LabCorp. This woman then hung up on me! When I tried to call back, the phone rang and rang and rang, and I never could get an answer again. I literally sat and let the phone ring at least 30 times, but still no one answered, and this happened 4 times!!! In the end, I just gave up. The statment I received from my insurance carrier shows what my insurance paid and what LabCorp can bill me, yet LabCorp is still trying to charge me twice what my insurance says they can, in addition to still trying to charge me for a venipuncture they didn’t perform! Maybe it’s time someone in the legal profession looks into LabCorp’s billing practices.